26504
NOTE TO G. V. CHICHERIN¹
Comrade Chicherin!
Please return this to me with your opinion. In my view, this is simply a squabble, a grudge against Ganetsky, who got carried away and said more than he should have, but was right on the substance. And the author of the letter has stirred up this squabble.
What is your opinion?
24/III [1921]
Lenin

¹ Written on a letter from E. Ya. Weiss, head of the department of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Trade in Latvia, dated March 19, 1921, with a characterization of the diplomatic and commercial activities of Ya. S. Ganetsky.
Ya. S. Ganetsky — party member since 1896, prominent figure in the Polish and Russian revolutionary movement. In 1921-1923 — member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs. During this period — plenipotentiary representative and trade representative of the RSFSR in Latvia.

17789
REMARKS ON THE DRAFT BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CONCESSION AGREEMENTS¹
[March 27, 1921]

"The controller keeps the book" (§ 18)
"The records" should be of such-and-such a kind (ten §§)
The load should be under the supervision of an experienced overseer (§ 33).
Forbid the lighting of fire, smoking, and the like.

¹ The question of the necessity of drafting basic principles of concession agreements arose in connection with the adoption by the Council of People's Commissars of a decree of February 1, 1921 on oil concessions in Baku and Grozny. The drafting of the project was entrusted to the chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy A. I. Rykov. The remarks were made by V. I. Lenin while reading this project.
In a letter to Rykov on March 27, Lenin wrote:
"I have looked through your materials on the concession agreement and am deeply outraged...
A multitude of worthless and ridiculous trifles (the ban on lighting fires, and so forth) and the serious matters are not distinguished."
In a letter to Rykov with the proposal: "...We must tomorrow (i.e., 28/III) work out these principles," Lenin appended his own draft, which with subsequent amendments and proposals was made the basis of the Council of People's Commissars decree adopted on March 29. Speaking on April 11, 1921 at a session of the Communist faction of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee with a report on concessions, Lenin read and commented point by point on the entire text of the Council of People's Commissars decree "Basic Principles of Concession Agreements" (see Complete Works, vol. 43, pp. 167-181; vol. 52, pp. 114-115).

26505
NOTE TO G. V. CHICHERIN
27/III [1921]
Comrade Chicherin!
I am informed that Zinoviev will arrive on Saturday. I advise you t o g e t h e r w i t h G o r b u n o v to work out t h e m o s t p r e c i s e
(1) directives
(2) have them approved by the Central Committee
(3) entrust Gorbunov with s u p e r v i s i o n
of their implementation¹

Lenin

¹ In March-April 1921, the bourgeois press of Western countries, including England, launched another anti-Soviet campaign. The Soviet government was accused of violating the agreement with Great Britain concluded on March 16, 1921.
In the published note, V. I. Lenin, guided by his unwavering principle of observance of treaties and agreements, proposed that directives be worked out for strict observance by all commissariats of the agreement with Great Britain.

17881
ORDER TO THE SECRETARY¹
[March 29, 1921]
(A s k C h i c h e r i n)
Decline the interview.

¹ The secretary of the Council of People's Commissars wrote that a correspondent of the English newspaper "The Daily Herald" requests an audience with V. I. Lenin and wishes to discuss "the American response to the RSFSR's proposal on trade." The words "Ask Chicherin" are written beneath this phrase.
G. V. Chicherin, in response to the secretary's inquiry, replied: "An interview on this question would be premature."

17941
NOTE TO L. B. KAMENEV
[1921, late March]
Gorky is here. He is complaining about something regarding the decision on Grzhebin¹.
Do you know what this is about?

¹ The reference is to the head of a book publishing house organized in 1919 in Petrograd (with branches in Moscow and later in Berlin) for the publication of artistic, scientific, and popular scientific literature.
V. I. Lenin's writing of this note probably dates to the time when the Central Committee of the RCP(b) was considering the question of the desirability of printing in Germany books from the "Universal Literature" publishing house by Z. I. Grzhebin. Against this, the trade representative of Soviet Russia in Berlin B. S. Stomolyakov and the deputy trade representative of the RSFSR in Germany Yu. Kh. Lutovinov spoke out. On May 25, 1921, they submitted a statement to the Central Committee of the RCP(b) indicating that the publishing apparatus created by the trade representation of the RSFSR in Germany would publish literature more cheaply than Grzhebin.
Maxim Gorky (A. M. Peshkov) — great proletarian writer, founder of socialist realism, originator of Soviet literature.

17975
NOTATION ON THE LIST OF MEMBERS OF GOSPLAN¹
[1921, April 1]
Chairman: Krzhizhanovsky.
Deputy: P. S. Osadchy.
Members: Aleksandrov,
Dolgov,
Kritsman².

¹ The list of members of Gosplan names 35 people. Against each name the place of their work is indicated. For example: "G. O. Graftio — from the Directorate of Electrification of the People's Commissariat of Railways, I. M. Gubkin — chairman of the Main Office of Shale at the Supreme Council of the National Economy, Professor Williams — Petrov Academy of Agriculture, P. I. Popov — head of Tsum, G. M. Krzhizhanovsky — State Electric Station 'Power Transmission'" etc.

² P. S. Osadchy — major specialist in the field of electrotechnics, professor, later rector of the Petrograd Electrotechnical Institute.
I. G. Aleksandrov — professor, chairman of the technical-economic council of the Committee of State Constructions.
A. N. Dolgov — professor, deputy chairman of the Central Production Commission at the Supreme Council of the National Economy.
L. N. Kritsman — party member since 1918. At this time — member of the presidium of Gosplan, chairman of the commission for utilization of material resources of the RSFSR under the Council of Labor and Defense.

26506
LETTER TO EMERSON JENNINGS¹
April 5 [19]21
MR. EMERSON JENNINGS
Moscow

I was very pleased to receive your letter and to note that you have taken part in the struggle against persecution of the RSFSR since 1918, proving this not only in words but in deed, especially in that you provided comrades Martens and Nuorteva² with means at a moment when, owing to the improper communication with Russia, they were very much in need of your friendly assistance for the RSFSR. I extend to you my heartfelt gratitude for this.

Taking into account your three-month stay in Russia for the purpose of resuming trade relations and my ardent desire for the speediest realization of the results, I would request that you address yourself directly to Comrade Lezhava (deputy commissar of foreign trade), who has the authority to conduct this matter and with whom, I believe, you will reach an agreement.

Comrade Lezhava will at the same time be very pleased with gratitude to return to you the seven million dollars* which you so kindly placed at the disposal of Comrade Martens.

Accept my best wishes

Your [Lenin]

Printed from a typewritten copy

¹ Emerson P. Jennings — head of a machine-building firm from Pennsylvania. In early 1920, Jennings headed a commercial association for the promotion of trade with Soviet Russia. The association sought to obtain the consent of the U.S. State Department for the establishment of Soviet-American trade relations.

* In Jennings' letter the figure cited is 7,000 dollars.

In December 1920, Jennings came to Moscow. In March 1921, he addressed a letter to V. I. Lenin in which he set forth the purpose of his visit, namely the resumption of trade relations between America and Soviet Russia. Jennings reminded him of the financial assistance he had provided to L. K. Martens and S. Nuorteva, and asked to be received for a conversation.
Lenin, having read Jennings' letter, wrote that he should address A. M. Lezhava. At the same time, Lenin sent Jennings' letter and his own note to Lezhava with a request to "do the same (as the previous [note])." Here Lenin had in mind the reply to the letter from American specialist in the field of organizing the construction and operation of telephone and telegraph communications M. I. Duggan (see Complete Works, vol. 54, pp. 439-440).

² L. K. Martens — party member since 1893. From January 1919 — representative of the RSFSR in the USA. After unsuccessful attempts at normalizing relations with the USA, rejected by the American government, Martens was expelled from America in 1921. Upon his return to Soviet Russia, he was engaged in responsible economic and scientific work.
A. F. Nuorteva — secretary of the Bureau of the representative of the RSFSR in the USA, organized in New York by Martens.

18224
NOTE TO V. M. MOLOTOV
15/IV [1921]
Comrade Molotov! I have convinced Sheinman today to agree to be the plenipotentiary of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Trade in Batum. I think that Sheinman is needed there. He is requesting a month's leave to Berlin for treatment. Could we not combine these? Send Sheinman there for a month first, and then him to Batum.

Lenin

¹ The note is written on a letter from the commissar of foreign affairs G. V. Chicherin to the Central Committee of the RCP(b) from April 14, 1921. In his letter, Chicherin proposed sending A. L. Sheinman to Berlin as a special plenipotentiary when conducting negotiations for the conclusion of a treaty with Germany; when a chairman of the delegation was appointed on the basis of the treaty, Sheinman would be able to remain in Berlin as a member of the delegation.
On April 14, 1921, at a Politburo session, the question of Sheinman's work was heard and a decision was adopted to entrust Lenin and Stalin with talking to him about his work in the Caucasus.
On April 20, 1921, it was decided to grant Sheinman a three-week leave to Berlin, after which to send him as trade representative to Georgia.
A. L. Sheinman — member of the party since 1903. From 1920 he worked in the People's Commissariat of Foreign Trade. In early October 1921 he was confirmed as a member of the collegium of the People's Commissariat of Finance and the board of the State Bank.
V. M. Molotov — at this time secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP(b).